The World is still talking about Alberta’s historic NDP win
Posted May 7, 2015 7:35 am.
Last Updated May 11, 2015 1:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As day two of NDP rule in Alberta dawned, the historic election continued to be the talk of the town, and not just locally.
National newspapers like the Globe and Mail and the National Post once again had the story on their front pages Thursday.
There was also an election in P.E.I. the same week that didn’t get nearly the same coverage.
There are two main reasons why everyone is so interested in what’s happening in Alberta.
One is the economic impact the win could have; the other is the cultural spectacle of a province thought to be largely conservative electing an NDP majority government.
Nelson Wiseman, political scientist with the University of Toronto, said he was quoted in a story about the election in Germany Wednesday.
He told 660News a big reason for the attention is because Alberta is such an economic force in the world.
“People in the rest of the world, certainly in the oil industry, know Alberta,” he said. “I don’t know if they know New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island or even Manitoba but Alberta has been a significant economic player and oil has been a significant cog in the world economy.”
Wiseman said one of Rachel Notley’s first priorities as premier will be reassuring oil executives but he said even they shouldn’t be too concerned. He said the Alberta NDP is not some radial left wing party and oil companies get along just fine with the NDP in Manitoba.
Political watchers in Ottawa are keeping a close eye on things because they want to know what this will mean for the Conservatives federally, according to Wiseman.
Still, he said unless something dramatic happens, people will start to lose interest and any national stories will likely only be driven by economic interests.
